Employees working from home during the coronavirus pandemic claimed some outlandish expenses this year, including pricey exercise bikes, facelifts and private jets.
Emburse, an expense management software company, released a compilation Wednesday of some of the craziest expenses it has seen claimed this year, some of which were actually approved. That included $1,895, which was approved as a contribution for an employee's Peloton Bike under the explanation of “for health and wellness.” On the other hand, a $7,600 expense claim for a facelift was submitted under the category of “repairs and maintenance” but was rejected, despite the pressing need to look one’s best during a Zoom meeting.
Liz Reimer is the chief human resource officer at Premise Health.
Asier Achutegui is the senior manager at the Microinsurance Network. With more than 15 years of experience in development, Achutegui previously worked in the evaluation, development and design of social inclusion public policy in Latin America and the Caribbean. He has experience in searching for development solutions globally and has worked in budgeting for projects aimed at improving the quality of life for the most vulnerable. In his current role, he is responsible for fundraising, coordinates key events and manages relationships with members from Europe.
Tommy Nicholas is the co-founder and CEO of the identity risk management company Alloy. He is on X at @tommyrva.
Some expenses weren’t for working from home, but more about getting out of the house safely. An expense claim for a private jet charter costing over $20,000 was submitted and approved under the explanation of “required to limit COVID exposure for international shoots.” Another travel-related expense claim was $2,500 for a helicopter ride, which was not approved.
The $79 expense claim for a dog crate could perhaps be used for travel at some point when that's safer, but in these times it was more plausibly to provide "crate training [for] a new COVID puppy to not run into Zoom meetings."
Below is an infographic produced by Emburse showing this and several other head-scratching claims:
